This Valentine’s Day, many men will be taking their significant others on romantic dates, whispering sweet nothings over glasses of wine at overly crowded restaurants. Single dudes, however, will probably be hanging out at home like it’s any other day.

But if you’re single and looking, maybe the problem is the city, not you.

To find out the best cities for single heterosexual men, we sought out the answers to three questions:

1. Are the odds in your favor? We examined the ratio of unmarried men to unmarried women. More available women than men in the city leads to less competition for you and higher odds of finding a single women to date.

2. Is it easy to meet people? People meet at bars, gyms and while hanging out outside. We calculated the number of bars and gyms per 1,000 residents and we looked at the Walk Score, which measures how walkable a city is. If you’re living in a city filled with shops and restaurants and bars, it is likely easier to meet people than if you live in a small suburban town where driving is always required.

3. Can you afford to date? We calculated the cost of a cheap date: a movie ticket, 12-inch Pizza Hut pizza and 6-pack of Heineken. We also incorporated the unemployment rate of the city in the calculation to maximize the chances that you and your date are both employed. No scrubs!

Best cities for single men

Unmarried women outnumber unmarried men in Boston, and the walkable layout and variety of bars and gyms are conducive to dating as well. Dates are a little pricier here, but the low unemployment rates makes it likely you’ll both be able to afford it. There are plenty of date options, including Red Sox games, walking the Freedom Trail and dinner in the North End.

With a great ratio of unmarried men to women for single males, Baltimore comes in at the number two spot. The city also has many bars and gyms and an average unemployment rate. And if you like seafood and crab cakes, you’ll have plenty of restaurant options for dates.

Philadelphia is highly walkable with a moderate cost of living and more unmarried women than unmarried men. Philadelphia has a rich arts culture (not to mention its delicious cheesesteak), so you can explore music and museums on your dates.

Although Denver has more unmarried men than unmarried women, the city makes up for this skewed ratio with a low unemployment rate, low cost of living and large number of bars and gyms per capita. Denver is full of nature-lovers, so there are plenty of date options for outdoorsy people, such as nearby hiking and skiing in the mountains.

Fort Worth is highly affordable, with a low cost of living and low unemployment rate. The city also has more unmarried women than unmarried men, and although you’ll be fairly car-dependent here, you can explore Fort Worth’s thriving music scene and great Mexican food with your date.

Seattle is high walkable, with a very low unemployment rate and very number of bars and gyms per capita. Seattle is known for great coffee and beer, so you can plan some fun dates at coffee shops or bars.

Chicago is highly walkable with a moderate cost of living, and the ratio of unmarried men to women is almost even. With deep-dish pizza on every corner and street festivals on every weekend in the summer, there are plenty of fun things to do on dates in this bustling city.

Although San Francisco has more unmarried men than women, don’t worry too much about the competition. The city has plenty of bars and gyms where you can meet people, and the unemployment rate for this highly walkable city is low. Plus, the city is known for its delicious food, so you can explore San Francisco’s restaurant scene on your dates.

Indianapolis has fewer unmarried men than unmarried women, and the low cost of living makes it easy to afford dating. Indianapolis is known for its sports, extensive park system and museums, so there are a variety of date options.

Rank

City

Number of unmarried men per 100 unmarried women

Number of bars and gyms per 1,000 residents

Walk Score

Cost of a date

Unemployment rate

Overall score for men

1

Boston, MA

93

1.3

79

$27.79

7.1%

87.3

2

Baltimore, MD

90.8

1.2

64

$27.14

10.5%

80.4

3

Washington, DC

91.3

1.1

73

$27.65

10.2%

80.1

4

Philadelphia, PA

95.1

0.8

74

$28.71

10.8%

71.4

5

Denver, CO

106.7

1.5

60

$26.79

9.1%

70.1

6

Fort Worth, TX

94.8

0.8

36

$25.69

8.0%

67.3

7

Seattle, WA

112.4

1.5

74

$29.21

7.5%

67.3

8

Chicago, IL

101.4

0.7

74

$29.43

11.3%

62.1

9

San Francisco, CA

116.2

1.1

85

$28.39

8.6%

62.0

10

Indianapolis, IN

98.7

0.8

37

$25.76

9.4%

61.1

Methodology

The overall score for men was derived from the following measures:

Number of unmarried men per 100 unmarried women (ages 15 to 44) from the U.S. Census

Cost of a date (including a 12-inch Pizza Hut pizza, movie ticket and 6-pack of Heineken) from the ACCRA cost of living index

Unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The number of unmarried men per 100 unmarried women was weighted twice as much as the other measures because the overall score was comprised of three equal categories: odds of meeting someone of the opposite gender, ease of meeting people and affordability.

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